Grants & Fundraising Director - Indianapolis, United States - Complete College America

Description

Job Description

Director of Grant Development & Fundraising

Organizational Overview

Established in 2009, Complete College America (CCA) is a bold national advocate for dramatically increasing college completion rates and closing institutional performance gaps. CCA is focused on systems change. Specifically, CCA addresses policy, perspective, and practice—at the federal, state, and institutional levels—to drive systemic changes that leads to better college completion rates, more equitable outcomes, and greater economic and social mobility. Complete College America is organized as an Alliance of 50 states, territories, and higher education consortia where executives have committed to reimagining systems to be engines of equity, prosperity, and hope. Each Alliance member sets ambitious goals for increasing college completion rates, tracks progress toward their goals, and prioritizes implementation of a set of evidence-based practices that have proven to produce more equitable outcomes for students.

Complete College America's headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana. The selected candidate will have potential for remote work; however, periodic in-office meetings and travel are required.

Job Description

Reporting to the Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President for Strategy, Complete College America seeks an energetic, strategic, and collaborative Grants & Fundraising Director with excellent relationship skills and demonstrated success in building capacity and increasing fundraising revenue. The successful candidate must have a genuine interest in the mission of CCA and be a highly skilled communicator able to make a compelling case for organizational support. Additionally, the selected candidate must have a creative and entrepreneurial approach and be able to work in a fast-paced, equity-centered environment. This is a unique opportunity for an innovative and passionate executive to lead, enhance, and redefine CCA's philanthropic and collaboration efforts in a critical period of organizational expansion. An individual will be successful in this position if they can own and prioritize projects, balance tasks, and employ a team-based approach to executing strategy.

Responsibilities will include the following:

• Manage grant-funded projects, including progress tracking, along with the coordination and submission of mid-year and final reports
• Lead and support CCA in the creation of grant concepts, letters of intent, and proposals aligned with the organizational mission and theory of change (measurable goals, financial/technology requirements and resources, staffing requirements, and evaluation/reporting procedures)
• Lead the generation of project reports for funders, senior organizational leadership, and the CCA Board of Directors
• Facilitate and host fundraising salons and meetings for CCA leadership and board members to engage new donors and retain existing donors
• Lead the application for federal grants, as well as sourcing and responding to RFPs (requests for proposals) for state grants and contracts in tandem with CCA strategy directors and Alliance leads
• Partner with the President, Chief of Staff/VP and Executive Team to propose and align fund development and business development strategies, as well as to strengthen donor acquisition and retention
• Report on fundraising and strategic partnerships to the President and board of directors and justify program changes or proposals
• Manage and support the implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy.
• Leads and establishes goals for event sponsorship income, individual giving, corporate contributions, Board giving and Board related giving, foundation, and in-kind support
• Support the event design and content creation for the CCA Annual Convening
• Introduce and generate enthusiasm for new, actionable donor insights, including analysis of donor segments, key messages, and calls to action
• Ensure that all donors receive proper recognitions and acknowledgement, including coordination with CCA programmatic and communications staff to align supporting advocacy and promotional efforts
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Job Qualifications

An ideal candidate will possess the following skills and experience:

• 7+ years professional experience in the nonprofit sector successfully securing six- and seven-figure gifts from a variety of sources
• Significant experience in areas including corporate, foundation and individual fundraising, proposal writing, and event planning and management
• Minimum of five years of work experience in higher education
• A flexible and adaptable style such that the individual can positively impact both strategic and tactical fundraising initiatives, partnerships, and business development opportunities
• Experience with writing, procuring and successfully overseeing the implementation of state and federal government agency, organizational, and other grants and contracts
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with keen attention to detail
• Outstanding oral presentation and written communication skills
• Ability to articulate complex higher education issues in a manner that can be clearly understood by a variety of audiences
• Ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and strategic partners to build long-term relationships
• A firm commitment to equity in the workplace and the achievement of equitable outcomes for minoritized students
• Expertise and comfort in engaging stakeholders that serve underrepresented backgrounds, including having complex understanding of the needs of minoritized populations and students from low-income and first-generation backgrounds
• Experience in training teams, including the creation of templates and documents for action planning
• An innovative, solution-oriented thinker that understands complex systems and has strong relationship-building skill sets that lead to high quality organizational practices and results
• An ability to operate both independently and as a member of a high functioning team as a team player who will productively engage with others at varying levels of seniority within and outside of the organization
• Acuity in data analysis and utilization of student success metrics to make the case for organizational support
• Willingness to learn and build new skill sets that are important to achieving work objectives
• Clear understanding and commitment to the CCA mission, values, goals, and theory of change
• Extensive understanding and working knowledge of office software to include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Raiser's Edge, Banner, etc.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule. This position requires non-standard hours, including some weekend and evening work
• Master's Degree and/or minimum of five years of work experience in higher education

Application Process

Upload resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to:

Applications will be reviewed, as they are received, until an ideal candidate is identified. For job-related questions, feel free to contact

Physical Demands

The position requires little physical effort. However, during an event, the employee may have to lift boxes with meeting supplies and documents for distribution. Periodic out-of-state travel is required.

Complete College America is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for employees, students, visitors, and stakeholders. As part of this effort, a criminal records check is a condition of employment at Complete College America.

Complete College America is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer.